Christmas Gifts
by l05t1n5p4c3
Summary: Written for the Dawn-to-Dusk Archive. Severus gives Harry a special Christmas gift.


Title: Christmas Gifts  
  
Pairing: Harry Potter/Severus Snape  
  
Disclaimer: Not mine, never was.  
  
Challenge: Write a story that is exactly 1000 words long.  
  
Note: Part of the third wave of "From Dusk till Dawn - the Harry Potter/Severus Snape Fuh-Q-Fest" at http://www.kardasi.com/HPSS.  
  
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Severus' hand reached out from under his invisibility cloak and placed his gift on top of the presents already in a pile at the end of the young man's bed. He looked through the gap in the Gryffindor's bed curtains at the sleeping seventh year. Severus' eyes drifted over the seventeen-year-old's face. He slept so peacefully. In this state he looked serene and angelic. But Severus knew that behind those closed eyelids a heart of immense passion and a mind of great intelligence worked quickly.  
  
Severus' eyes rested on the lips of his heart's desire. Many times had Severus' eyes been drawn to those sweet, rosy lips.  
  
Severus jerked himself out of his reverie when the thief of his heart turned over under his covers and, with an innocent sigh, fell back into a deep restful sleep. Severus smiled at the sight and sighed himself. Tomorrow would be Christmas Day and it would also be the day for his heart's desire to know how he really felt.  
  
Severus stole one more look at the sleeping man before moving silently out of the room and closing the door with a muffled thud.  
  
It was up to the hands of Fate and the Spirit of Christmas to push the two soul mates together now. And let's not forget the power of a simple gift.  
  
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"Wake up Harry, you plonker, we've got presents!" Ron yelled at his, previously sleeping, best friend.  
  
A sleepy Harry sat up as Ron bounded over to the end of his own bed. Harry rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and warily put his bare feet on the carpet-less floor, wincing at the cold feel of the granite flagstones. Harry woke up completely when he saw the pile of presents at the bottom of his bed. He smiled widely at the familiar giddy feeling of Christmas. He was seventeen and Christmas still made him feel like an excited little child. Harry looked over at his red-headed friend. Ron was already tearing through his presents, littering the floor with shredded Christmas wrapping paper. It seemed Harry wasn't the only one who still loved Christmas.  
  
Harry drew his eyes away from his best friend and looked over at his presents. Even after seven years he was still slightly dazed by the amount of people who cared for him. Harry's eyes roamed over the pile of gifts, stopping to stare at one in particular.  
  
It stood out from the rest of the Christmas paper as it was a dark velvety green box. It was quite long for a box so thin. It had a gold ribbon and a silver ribbon twisted together and tied around it, knotted together in an intricate arrangement on top of the box. Harry picked it up and noticed that the box actually had fine red patterns detailed on top of the Slytherin green background. There was no card saying who it was from or any detail about the giver at all. Harry felt that there was something special about this particular Christmas gift and that it was probably meant for his eyes only. He hid it underneath his bed, behind a copy of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet that he had bought in muggle London one time.  
  
Once he'd made sure the box was safely hidden he turned to the rest of his presents and started to tear the paper off them as Ron was doing to his own pile. He didn't feel as excitingly giddy about the rest of his presents as before because now his heart was filled with anticipation as to what his special gift was.  
  
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Late that evening, Harry was curled up in an armchair in the empty Gryffindor common room. Everyone had gone to bed so that they could be up early tomorrow, in time to get ready for the Yule Ball. Harry was cradling the box in his hands, looking at the outside thoroughly. It truly was a beautiful box. He had never seen colours so… alive before. It was incredible. He wanted to sit and gaze at his gift for hours but his curiosity won out. He tentatively reached out his right hand, his left still cradling the box close to his chest. His fingers plucked the ribbon undone and, as they fell away, Harry picked the ribbons up and gently laid them in his lap. He was not risking the loss of any part of his gift. Harry's breathing was coming heavier as he lifted his right hand up to pull the lid off the box. He took a deep breath and slowly pulled the lid of the box off. He savoured every moment of anticipation and excitement. His eyes alight with wonder as his heart pounded against his chest.   
  
The lid was finally off and Harry drew in a sharp breath. Lying in the box, on a bed of rumpled black silk, was a vibrant blood-red rose. Harry picked up the long rose by its green stem. There were no thorns to prick him and only two leaves growing along it's length. He ran his fingers delicately up and down the stem and stroked the red petals gently with his fingertips, noticing that the red colour got lighter nearer the top edge of the curled petal.  
  
Harry tore his eyes away from the rose and saw a small piece of cream parchment in the box that he hadn't noticed before. He placed the box in his lap and picked up the parchment with his free hand. In neat, elegant script were the words 'Two houses, both alike in dignity.'.  
  
Harry gasped in shock. He recognised that writing. How could he forget it. It had been written on certain pieces of his homework for the last seven years. Derogatory remarks and sarcastic comments in abundance.  
  
Harry was sure that he knew who the rose was from. He smiled.  
  
Now all he had to do was let a certain rose-giving Potions Master know that the feelings were reciprocated. 


End file.
